We’ve all dated people that our parents haven’t liked. Maybe it was your high school sweetheart, or that person you dated for a semester in college, or that fling you met at a bar and spent all of your time with for the next two months. However, and whenever, it happens, it’s never easy. Your entire relationship can become strained when you’re up against your family’s disapproval.
We’d imagine that all becomes compounded when you’re a celebrity. You’d already be dealing with the stress of the public eye on your newfound love, so to add the strain of a family member’s disapproval could really doom a relationship from the start. We’ve rounded up 15 celebrities whose parents hate their SOs, and *spoiler alert* for most of them that dislike became a major factor in the couple’s split.
15. Kylie Jenner
Kylie Jenner and Tyga may have been together for two years (albeit on and off, but that’s still a long time for a young couple in Hollywood), but it was never a secret that her family didn’t really approve of the match. Momager Kris Jenner was the most vocally opposed to the pair, expressing concern over the fact that she saw Tyga as a bit of a hanger-on. Concerned that he was just trying to use the Kardashian name for his own purposes, she’s spoken openly about the fact that she doesn’t approve of the way Kylie was pouring money into someone she wasn’t convinced really cared for her daughter. Hopefully, she’s happier with the relationship Kylie has now with her rumored baby daddy Travis Scott.
14. Robert Pattinson
Robert Pattinson may have won the heart of every tween girl in the world with his Twilight role, but only one girl has every really won his. The actor got engaged to singer FKA Twigs after seven months of dating, and the two split late last year after reports began spreading that they’d been growing apart for months. One thing that may have been a factor in the split? Robert’s family’s feelings about FKA. His sisters, in particular, were worried that FKA was in it for the wrong reasons — his “deep” bank account and ability to increase her fame were their main concerns in the match — and it seems possible that all their chatter drove the wedge between the pair too deep to overcome. Oh well, it still gives all of us another shot with the British hottie.
13. Brad Pitt
It seems that even the most beautiful couple in Hollywood wasn’t spared from a bit of family feuding over their relationship. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were together for twelve years before Angelina filed for divorce, but things between the actress and her mother-in-law were never smooth. The two butted heads on a lot of issues (the elder Mrs. Pitt published a letter to the editor in her local newspaper that discussed her lack of support for gay marriage, while Angelina has always been a vocal advocate for same-sex marriage rights), and Mrs. Pitt maintained a close relationship with Brad’s first wife Jennifer Aniston — something that definitely created additional tension. We can’t imagine that Thanksgiving dinner with these two women at the table could have been all that easy.
12. Leonardo Dicaprio
In another episode of “mama knows best,” it’s rumored that Leonardo Dicaprio’s mama was no fan of his ex-girlfriend Blake Lively. The bad feelings stemmed from an awkward first meeting, where Blake was so nervous that she rambled on about her role in Gossip Girl and her recent Chanel modeling gig. Mama Dicaprio decided that Blake was too into herself and her career to be a good match for her son, and told him as much. Ever the mama’s boy, Irmelin’s opinion put the final nail in the coffin in what could have been Hollywood’s next big power couple.
11. Beth Stern
Beth and Howard Stern have been together for 18 years and married for 10 of them. If there was an award for most committed Hollywood couple, they just might get it. Things seem great between them now, but it hasn’t always been that way. In an interview she gave a couple of years ago, Beth recalled the day she told her mother that she was dating the provocative radio host. Apparently, her mom was so unhappy with the match and Beth’s choice in a partner that she hung up the phone on her daughter and refused to speak to her for two weeks. Howard seems to have won his mother-in-law over at this point, but we can’t imagine that those early dating days were easy on the couple.
10. Pippa Middleton
We feel sort of bad for Pippa Middelton. When your older sister is married to the future King of England, it’s really hard for any guy you bring home to measure up. Even an incredibly wealthy, incredibly handsome businessman like Nico Jackson didn’t do the trick. Pippa dated the stockbroker for three years, and the two even had engagement rumors swirling for a while, but in the end, they couldn’t make it work. One possible reason? Pippa’s mother, Carole, didn’t think too highly of her daughter’s boyfriend. According to all of the British tabloids, Carole just wasn’t sure Nico was “good enough” for her youngest daughter. Oof!
9. Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift has had her fair share of boyfriends, and for the most part, her mama has approved of many of her choices. Mama Swift has talked to tabloids about how much she’s liked several of her daughter’s love interests, but at the 2015 ACM Awards, she was singing a different tune. While Mama Swift didn’t name any names she did say this: “Her dad and I strongly disapproved of a certain young man. And rightfully so. But she was mad, she was real mad, and so she went to her room and she closed the door. And she came out about an hour later with a song called ‘Love Story.’ While it’s a bummer for Taylor that her parents weren’t on board with her relationship, we might have their disapproval to thank for her music career.
8. Riley Keough
Riley Keough is the granddaughter of Elvis Presley and the daughter of Lisa Marie Presley. An actress in her own right, Riley’s made a name for herself in film apart from her celebrity family tree. She had a part in Magic Mike where she met her ex-fiancé Alex Pettyfer. Things were all roses and rainbows for a while, but when the duo broke off their engagement in 2012, Lisa Marie only had three words for her daughter: ‘I told you so.’ It seems the elder Presley had never approved of her daughter’s choice after all, and once they split she had no problem making her feelings public.
7. Anne Wojcicki
Anne Wojcicki may not be a name that you instantly recognize, but it’s definitely one worth knowing. Anne is the CEO and co-founder of 23andMe, and an all-around boss. She also dated ex-Yankee Alex Rodriguez for about a year and a half. They made a super cute couple, but it seems not everyone was rooting for them. In an interview with The New York Times, Anne’s mother, Esther, held nothing back when it came to her daughter’s former love. She said: “I liked A-Rod, he was a very nice man… But I right away figured out this was a mismatch… We couldn’t have an intellectual conversation about anything.” Ouch! It turns out his baseball genius didn’t count in this family, and Esther was more than happy her daughter had moved on.
6. A$AP Rocky
In true Kardashian form, Kendall Jenner never officially confirmed her relationship with rapper A$AP Rocky, but that didn’t hold A$AP’s step-mom back from getting in her two cents about her son’s model girlfriend. In a sound bite with The Daily Mail, his step-mom said, “Everything I hear about the Kardashians makes me think they are a bad family for Rakim [A$AP Rocky] to be involved with. They are just not the kind of people I’d like to see him hanging around with. I don’t want him dragged into that circus. He is too good for that and can do so much better.” Talk about harsh criticism, especially from a relationship that’s not even official!
5. Miley Cyrus
Everyone loves Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth together. We’ve rooted for their love from the second we watched them fall in love on-screen in The Last Song all the way up to the recent rumor that they may have finally gotten married in Australia. All of us, except for dad Billy Ray Cyrus, that is.
When the couple first began dating, he wasn’t exactly thrilled. He especially didn’t like the fact that his 17-year-old daughter moved in with her older boyfriend so quickly. But the time the couple was engaged the first time around, he’d definitely come around to Liam and seems to be completely supportive of their relationship nowadays. Apparently, even Billy Ray wasn’t immune to the majesty that is Liam freaking Hemsworth.
4. Kim Kardashian
Never known to be one to keep her mouth shut or her opinions to herself, Caitlyn Jenner was pretty outspoken about her initial dislike for her stepdaughter’s new man. When Kim Kardashian first began publicly dating Kanye West in 2012, Caitlyn said “I’m not that excited, but we’ll see. Kimberly and I have had a conversation about them and their potential relationship.” Maybe it was the fact that Kim was still married to someone else when the two began stepping out together, or maybe it was Kanye’s over the top antics that had Caitlyn worried. But whatever it was, we wonder if she likes Kanye more now that the couple has been married for four years and have three children together?
3. Chris Brown
When everything was over and done with between Rihanna and Chris Brown, everyone agreed that Rihanna was way better off without Chris in her life. Obviously. He was abusive, and she is a queen, and she can definitely do so much better (like current boyfriend Hassan Jameel, for example). Everyone, except for Chris Brown’s dad, that is, who felt the exact opposite. Yep, you heard us right. The elder Brown thought his son could do “much better” than his ex and said that “[Chris] needs someone who is grounded and logical.” EXCUSE US?! Rihanna was the best thing Chris Brown is ever going to have, and it’s insulting that Mr. Brown could think so poorly of the Queen. Clearly, misogyny runs in the family. What is wrong with people?
2. Patrick Schwarzenegger
In case you forgot, Patrick Schwarzenegger, the son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver dated Miley Cyrus for five months back in 2015. The brief relationship was super cute, and the two posted loved-up pictures all over their respective Instagrams before calling it a day. However, Patrick’s mom wasn’t as heart-eyed over their relationship as we were. She was reportedly furious about the relationship and was worried that Miley would have a negative impact on the family’s image. We wonder if she liked Taylor Swift any better?
1. Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber have been on-again-off-again for what feels like forever. Their relationship has always endured public commentary from both of their respective mothers, and it seems like every time they break up or reunite, the mom’s come out of the woodwork to get in their two cents. The couple’s most recent reunion has been no different. Selena’s mom Mandy Teefy spilled her thoughts about the relationship recently, saying “Selena can live her life however she wants as long as she is happy, safe and healthy. Every mother and daughter has disagreements.” You know, before adding that she was definitely “not happy” about the rekindled love.